Winter's Misery
by enthrallinglyric
Summary: Helsa/Iceburns/Hansla. Hans arrives at the Southern Aisles and plans are made for the queen of Arendelle to visit the Southern Aisles, against her will. Elsa relies on Hans to help her escape. (Sorry, it's so vague! I don't want to give away too much.)
1. Chapter 1 - Let Me Start Over

Chapter I - Let Me Start Over

The weighed down doors let out a loud deep screech as they always did when opened. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of him shamefully, fearful of what his brothers would think. The guards suddenly stopped, surprising Hans. His head jolted up realizing that he was now in the throne room. Hans eldest brother looked down on him the same way he did throughout their entire childhood. It was cold, demeaning, and if looks could give sounds, a scoff would escape his presence.

"Your majesty…–" The guard to the right of Hans started. The King's eyes quickly shifted to the guard, evaluating the situation.

"Ah, back so early, Hans? Not a surprise, you seem to 'chicken out' more often than not." King Duane's entire formation now let off an amused spirit. The guard to the right cleared his throat in a weak attempt to grab King Duane's attention. The King leaned back in the throne sighing. "I suppose I haven't heard a good story in a while. There's not enough mischief in this kingdom. Go on, now."

The guard shifted his shoulders, straightened his neck, and began a well practiced, detailed story of the eventful time in Arendelle.

The King giggled throughout the entire story, utterly amused. Queen Moya had a deep–set concern on her face, shocked at the malicious things she had just heard. Hans regained his composure after having to relive every last detail of that treacherous visit to Arendelle, he brought his gaze up to King Duane, expecting a response.

King Duane sat silent for a little while then abruptly got out of his throne approaching Hans. He stood uncomfortably close to Hans, all amusement washed out of him. "Ice… _Power_…?" Duane enunciated "power" with a twitch to his lip. His eyes filled with a strong mixture of powerful emotions. Hans struggled to keep composed and not let his eyes flee. He searched Duane's eyes and found jealousy, threats, desire, and whatever emotion that had the strength to crush a man's skull with a simple motion.

Hans cleared his throat meekly, preparing to speak his first (and quite possibly last) words to his brother, ever since Duane had taken the throne. "Yes, your majesty." Duane smiled somewhere in-between bright and devious and turned to Queen Moya, then back to Hans.

Duane leaned closely to his brother's ear and said "She. Is. Mine. Give me a detailed map of her castle by tomorrow morning." The words were uttered below a whisper but with the ferocity of a lion. King Duane cleared his throat louder than necessary and stepped back. "Prince Hans shall receive no punishment for his actions, I believe they were done with a… good heart." He paused to let out a smug smirk "You are dismissed." He turned abruptly and took a seat in his throne.

* * *

Hans stood tall as he walked to his room. It took all the strength he could muster up not to shake as his hand reached out to the door handle. It felt as though his entire body, mentally and physically, was trembling. The door handle turned and he fell against the door, rather ungracefully, pushing it open. After quickly shutting it behind him he slumped against the wall and breathed out a shaky breath. _Calm down, Hans. _He put his hands to his face and ran them through his auburn hair. _It will all be alright. Nothing bad will happen. Duane is just naturally creepy, right? Right. _He looked down at his shaking hands and ripped off his gloves in anger, throwing them across the room.

The windowsill that he sat in most of his childhood seemed an eternity away in this moment, while in reality, it was only a few paces. He longed after it feeling incapable of moving. Why did he do that? Why couldn't he move? A deep breath had been a remedy throughout his sorrowful life. _ yourself. _Hans took a deep breath through the nose and let it out slowly.

Meanwhile, King Duane is rather excited. He is running across the long halls to the library. Duane pulls out every book he can find on anything related to what he needs. Orders are sent flying, his voice increasing after each one. Hurriedly, he flips through pages, skimming to find anything useful to feed his hunger for power. _Finally, something to __**do**__._

* * *

"Elsaaaa!" Anna hollered as she ran through the halls looking for her sister. She ran quickly and she knew these places well. Looking through open doors and in corners, she searched the castle. "Ahh! I–found–you!" Anna breathed heavily from the running, forcing out words. Elsa looked up from her book and smiled at her sister. Anna was quite a handful, something she had forgotten from her long childhood. "You know… I probably should have figured to check here first." Elsa giggled. The library was lined, from the top of the 16 foot walls to the bottom, with books. Double sided bookcases filled the areas where the, elegantly placed, chairs and couches were not. There were tea sets on each coffee table, each intricate and beautiful in its own unique way.

"Would you like some tea?" Elsa gestured to the astounding tea pot on the side table next to her.

"Oh, I'm not much of a tea drinker. What are you reading?" Anna tried her best to calm down, she felt that her constant excited and cheery state conflicted with her sister's state. Giving her best, she sat down, trying to do so gracefully.

"It's called…" Elsa flipped her book to the cover "'Winter's Misery'. I'm not entirely sure you would understand if I tried explaining it. It's in a foreign language." Elsa tried her best to open up to her sister, but she felt like she was being dragged back into herself. It wasn't a bad feeling, she liked it, but her sister needed her. Her _kingdom_ needed her.

"Oh wow! I didn't know you were bilingual! There's so much I don't know about you." Anna eyes gleamed as she rested her chin on her hand and looking at Elsa, amazed.

" Actually, I am mostly fluent in 3 foreign languages." Elsa hesitated, fiddling with her hands. "I know German, some Chinese, and Swedish."

"Oh. That's a lot. I tried learning Swedish once but, heh, I kept getting distracted. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was tap dancing in my Swedish time." They both shared a laugh, Anna had a tendency to get distracted a lot.

"Princess Anna, Mr. Bjorgman is here to see you." A petite servant stood in the doorway, hesitantly, hating to disturb the sisters working hard to fill in a rift.

"Oh! Great! Thanks Melania!" Anna waved cheerily to Melania and then turned her attention to Elsa. "Sorry! I totally forgot, me and Kristoff planned stuff for today."Anna stood up and hugged her sister and rushed out the door. Elsa smiled, she enjoyed having her sister with her. _It can be like this all the time._

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey, thank you for reading! Sorry, it wasn't till I re-read this several times that I realized it was sort of short and slow. The next chapters should be better. If you have anything to say, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2 - An Introduction

Chapter 2 - An Introduction

"Is it finished? Tell me it's finished!" King Duane yelled at the director of his several 'projects'.

"Not yet, your majesty. Something like this is– well–difficult, to say the least." The director, Marvin, stumbled over his words. "But, it uh, should be done by uh– 4 days. And the other project will probably take quite a bit longer, considering, well, the limited amount of workers on it." Marvin used more than the average amount of hand gestures while speaking.

"Right. 4 days… Meeting _all_ of the requirements I asked?" King Duane lowered his voice to a more appropriate tone, allowing the director room to relax, yet he continued to stumble over words.

"No. The bare minimum, actually. I suppose if we were to– well… We'd need more workers. With all requirements completed, at the pace we're currently going, it would be, eh," Marvin pushed up his glasses and started counting things silently on his fingers. "I'd say, a little over a week. If we were to work longer days maybe 6 days, but I– I'm not going to allow my workers to do that without higher pay."

"Consider it done. I will arrange to have the pay tripled. Get it done in no more than 144 hours." The King settled it on a handshake with Marvin and turned to leave.

"Oh, and, your majesty, we have finished the, what do you call them? The gloves." Marvin said. King Duane turned back and smiled.

"Perfect." King Duane finally was able to leave. He immediately went to give message to set sail. It would be perfect timing to reach Arendelle.

* * *

Anna had been gone for 6 days now. Elsa had begun worrying. The last time she spoke to Anna was in the library and the information she gave Elsa, as to where she was going, was hardly sufficient. But then again, she _was_ with Kristoff and Kristoff has definitely proved his capability to protect her. _I shouldn't worry so much. She should explore more of Arendelle and I mean, she is with Kristoff. Get a hold of yourself, Elsa. She loves to travel. She's probably in Corona or something. _

"Melania, would you please get me some tea, I have a bit of a headache." The Queen requested.

"Of course, Queen Elsa." Melania curtsied to her beloved Queen. Elsa favorited Melania for an unexplainable reason. Her presence was refreshing.

Elsa rested her forehead in her fingers. She was stressed out. Being queen was something she knew would be more than difficult to maintain. Even though Elsa and Anna had been in contact more and doors were opened, Elsa still felt incredibly alone. It was a different kind of alone from being in her ice palace. There she could do what she wanted, she was free. Here, she had responsibility, relationships to maintain, she had to be a model citizen, a queen.

"Your tea, madame." Melania placed a steaming pot of tea on the table. Elsa took in a deep, long breath, tea was her safe haven. She always found it sort of funny how comforting warmth could be, considering her entire life was based on ice and the cold. Elsa shifted her eyes up to Melania. She was always so meek and sweet. Melania was also an orphan and that was basically the extent that Elsa knew about her.

"Melania, please, take a seat and enjoy some tea with me." Elsa gave her a smile and Melania smiled back. They sat quietly and drank soothing green tea. It was not until Elsa realized she had finished her tea that she spoke. "I've always been impressed by this library."

"Huh?" Melania had been staring at her empty cup for a while, daydreaming. "Oh, yes. It's the best room in the entire castle. Well, at least in my opinion." Melania examined the books on the wall behind Elsa.

"Yes, I completely agree. It's…" Elsa searched for adequate words. "It's tranquil." Elsa smiled and looked over at Melania. "Do you read much?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I cannot even start on how much I love to read… It's a nice escape."

"Yes..." Elsa realized that the once sunny day was now dark. She looked over at the clock. _10 o' clock?_ "Oh goodness. I didn't realize how late it was. I should be getting to bed."

They exchanged goodbyes and Melania collected the dishes. The one thing Elsa resented about the library is how far it was from her bedroom. It was on the opposite side of the castle, in fact, not to mention she had 3 flights of stairs to climb. Elsa was already exhausted from her stressful day and by the end of her walk, she collapsed upon her bed. It was as if her mattress collected all her stress, anxiety, loneliness, and worries, which is wonderful, but as soon as Elsa had collapsed upon her bed, it released it all back into her. She pressed her fingers hard on her temples. It didn't help. After getting dressed into sleepwear, she crawled into bed. She felt extremely uneasy. The worst thoughts raced through her head, each one placing more weight on her mind. Soon enough the weight became too much, pushing her into a rather non peaceful sleep.

* * *

Hans had been staring up at his ceiling for a few hours now. For about 30 minutes he had been considering going out on the balcony and enjoying the sun, however, that didn't happen. He thought about his brothers and where they were, where he was. It seemed they always succeeded and he always failed. Being the youngest was hardly an excuse. He sunk deeper and deeper into his thoughts and was startled by a knock at the door.

"Uh, come in." Hans hoisted himself off the ground and straightened out his clothes. Alva opened the door sheepishly and peeked her head in. Hans couldn't keep himself from smiling. "Hello, Alva. Where have you been?"

Alva took that as an invitation to step in fully. "Hello." She smiled brightly as always. "Around…" She clasped her hands in front of her and looked at her feet, causing her beautiful mahogany colored hair to fall in front of her shoulders. "Are you okay, Hans?"

Hans was caught off guard by the question. She was the only one he could remember ever asking that question. "Of course I am." Hans took a few steps closer to his sister. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"Oh, I don't remember… I think… I… I don't know." Alva raised her eyes to meet Hans'. "It's so hard to remember things." Hans simply nodded his head.

"Did you talk to Duane? Did he tell you anything about me?"

"Yes." Alva swept her hair behind her ear. "He told me about Arendelle and the people you hurt." She suddenly filled with confidence and held her head higher than before. Hans closed his eyes. "I thought you were different from the others, Hans. You proved me wrong." The words Alva spoke had strength but her voice was kind and compassionate.

"I am!" Hans paused and re-evaluated. "At least, I wish I was. Alva, you have to understand what it's like to be… to be treated as an inferior your _entire_ life. I _need_ something more."

"_I_ don't understand what it is like to be treated as an inferior? Do you even notice anything besides yourself? I am treated as a servant is by a hateful master. What I don't understand is why you would give in to an even lower level than they think you are. Did you even apologize to those poor people? No, I _know_ you didn't. You're too obsessed with pride and power. _Just_ like the people you say you hate. Now you're isolating yourself in self-pity while Duane is off–"

"Stop, Alva! Stop…" Hans turned away from his sister. The room felt heavier. Silence fell and hung there for what seemed to be a life-time.

"Hans… I love you. You will always be my brother. Please… Just do the right thing for once." At that Alva left, leaving her sweet voice in Hans' mind.

* * *

"I will also come, to ensure all things go according to plan." King Duane told the captain of the ship.

"Suit yourself. I'm not responsible for any troublesome weather and it's not my fault if you get sick, so don't come complaining to me." The captain replied. A less than appropriate way to address a king.

King Duane raised an eyebrow. "Right. Be ready to set sail in 2 hours."

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading and the reviews! If you have any questions about the timeline feel free to ask :). **


	3. Chapter 3 - Conflicted

Chapter 3 - Conflicted

She tossed and turned all night, unaware of the condition of her sheets. Her dreams were filled with nightmares and overflowed in the form of slight murmurs. Elsa dreamed about her parents. They were looked up to, they were almost perfect rulers for Arendelle.

_I should have gone to the funeral._ In this dream she was leaned up against her bedroom door. She faintly heard Anna crying on the other side. Suddenly her mother appeared and held out a hand. Her mother smiled with that warm expression that could put anyone at ease. Elsa felt hope, like she would be okay. Her powers were okay. She could be loved again, her powers didn't have to be dangerous. Elsa reached out to her mother's hand but it started transforming. That welcoming hand soon turned into a pointing finger, it was her father's. She looked up at her mother's face, the warm smile turned into her father's straight mouth. "_Conceal. Don't feel, Elsa."_ Her father they were standing side by side, her mother's hand wrapped around her father's arm. Everything around Elsa started fading into a white nothing. "_No, don't go. Mama…"_

This is when an individual would think they would wake up. The dream fades away and reality comes back into play. At least, this is what Elsa expected. Instead, she was trapped in her own mind. The door that supported her disappeared along with the rest of the dream world, letting her fall back. Everything was so white it hurt her eyes, her thoughts. There was a soft breeze and that was it. Elsa collapsed, but instead of hitting the ground, she fell. She fell into the white nothingness, seeming to never end.

* * *

"Be cautious. If she's anything like what I've heard, then she is extremely dangerous. Stick with the plan and limit contact." King Duane ordered. At that moment he felt he could do whatever he wanted. _Forget the sky, there is no limit. _He rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to keep the cold away, yet that was exactly what he was inviting.

Duane's three henchmen moved swiftly. There were few guards surrounding the castle of Arendelle, but the henchmen faded into the black of the night, completely unnoticed. Some would think it odd to have so few guards after the actions of deceitful people disrupting the trust of the entire kingdom.

The henchmen had memorized all the information they needed to retrieve the Queen. They raced along the walls of the stunning castle and climbed to the one window that was laced with ice. One of the henchmen pushed it opened and quietly climbed in. A breeze entered the room after him. The other two henchmen stood in astonishment at seeing the ice fractals built up on every surface of the bedroom. The ice climbed up the bedposts and the bookcases. It even covered the pages of books. The first henchmen scooped Elsa up in his arms as gently as he could, so as not to wake her. Ice crept up the sleeves of his shirt and throughout the rest of his body, only a thin layer, but still uncomfortably cold. The henchmen left back to the ship with only a few squirms from the queen.

* * *

The never ending falling feeling soon ended with a thud. Elsa landed on an unrecognizable surface in her empty dream, splashing color and dimension on the walls she thought hadn't existed. Reality returned just as it had faded.

Elsa's eyes opened slowly until she heard an abrupt slam of a door, causing her to sit right up. It was too dark to see anything, the only surrounding area she could feel was the ground and the familiar feeling of chains. For the second time she had woken up to custom made shackles. Her whole body was quivering. _Where am I? _The soft swaying motion she felt determined she was at sea. These shackles were stronger than the last, but that did not stop her from attempting to break free. Elsa froze the floor of the entire room, which allowed the chains to break from the floor. She quickly worked on freeing her hands once she heard voices coming from the deck of the ship. The ice hardly had any affect on the shackles, merely making them colder. Elsa let out a single sob and collapsed back on the floor.

_Why is it so dark? _Elsa traced her bare foot along the planks of the floor, realizing the significance of being on a ship. She realized her parents death occurred at sea and that she very well could die the same way. Emotions raised up from the deepest places she had stored them in. Her breathing became heavier and tears started streaming down her face, yet she did not feel despair. She felt that she was shattering, with every new emotion caused another piece of her to fall away. The cold she was causing filtered out onto the main deck causing a bit of a ruckus. Her breathing intensified and the ice was even creeping into the sea below. Memories flashed through her mind, every feeling of cold when she so desperately wanted to feel warm, and every smile she received from her loving parents. She blamed their death on herself for irrational reasons. "They're gone, Elsa!" she yelled to herself and she slammed her hands onto the ice she had built up around her, cracking the shackles. "What are you so afraid of?" she slammed her hands on the walls of ice again with more force than last time. This cracked the shackles even more and shattered the wall of ice in front of her. Elsa slammed her hands on the floor, breaking the shackles off completely. Her powers were uncontrollable at this point. She stumbled around the room and reached the door soon enough, ripping it off compulsively. The men on deck ran around frantically after realizing Elsa was free, looking for means to control her again. Duane ran out of his quarters trying to assess the situation. Elsa, struck down several men unintentionally. Ice was scattering everywhere and with each man she injured, the more frantic she became. The men on the ship resulted to using weapons of all sorts. With each arrow and sword thrown at her came another wall of ice and strikes. Duane was the one to end it, striking the back of her head with a heavy piece of ice, causing her unconsciousness but not severe damage.

* * *

For the past 3 days Hans had been distracting himself from any contemplative thoughts. He was constantly on his feet walking around or socializing with his brothers and the people of the Southern Isles. Every time he passed by Alva his eyes automatically shifted away from her. He felt dishonest to her, which confused him considering he didn't necessarily lie to her. It wasn't until he felt an urge to sit in his parents former room that he started contemplating things again.

He stalled in front of their door. The only room he had been too afraid to go into. He mustered up his courage, grasped both handles with white knuckles, and opened the door. It appeared basically like every other bedroom in the castle, but it _felt_ different. He wondered if it would still feel different if he didn't know the significance of it. The room was perfectly preserved, with even books being left open. There were two chairs facing the window that he presumed is where his mother and father sat together. He stared at them for a while and decided to sit in the one of the right. No one ever described his father as power hungry or selfish. On the contrary, every description that he had heard about him had something along the lines of "he was a great king" or "kind and compassionate", the opposite of Duane, and as much as he hated to admit it, himself.

In between the chairs, letters were stacked on a small table. Hans read them, trying to learn. Some were addressed to his mother and some to his father. All the letters, even from the commoners, were very personal, as if they knew the royal family personally. Hans didn't want to change, but he knew he needed to. He couldn't be like his brother. _For goodness' sake, I almost took someone's life for power. Someone who didn't even deserve it. _Opposite to the bed was paintings of all 14 children, some paired together and some alone. Hans and Alva were paired together in a painting, the 14th and the 10th. Alva's mental problems took her out of line for the throne. Memories came to Hans of the dreadful day, dreadful for a mere toddler, at least. The artist was constantly telling Hans and Alva to sit still as they giggled and played. After a while the artist gave up and improvised by painting them while they were playing. _Such innocence in a world filled with hate._

Hans' mother died shortly after giving birth to him, not more than a few weeks. His father caught the same illness and passed away 5 years later. After the Queen died, the King started giving more attention to his children. It wasn't until then that he saw what they were. They were arrogant, all innocence washed away from even some of the younger ones, all except Alva and the newborn. The King tried desperately to change Han's course, with even Alva assisting with teaching him morals. Once the King died, Alva kept persisting in trying to separate Hans from their brothers, but without their father's help, Hans started getting more curious about his brothers and soon enough, he adopted qualities from them.

"That's it, I'll write a letter to Queen Elsa, apologizing." Hans spoke to himself and returned to his room to write to the Queen of Arendelle, unknowing that she was no longer there.

* * *

"Hello, Queen Elsa. You're finally awake." Elsa awoke to a somewhat cheery voice but with a hint of malicious intentions tucked behind it. She had the shackles on again, a new pair. King Duane was seated in front of her, he continued to speak. "I hadn't thought I hit you _that_ hard." Elsa now realized the headache she had. "You know, you struck down quite a few men yesterday. Two of which died afterwards. Not really a big deal, but still murder." He smiled at Elsa who returned it with a scorn.

"Who are you and where are you taking me?" Elsa interrogated trying to keep composed.

"You can call me… David! Yes call me David. Well, to land, where else?" Duane laughed at his own vagueness.

Elsa sat back and stared at the man seated in front of her for a little while, searching for questions she might get answers to. "Okay… Why do you want me?" Duane's cheery expression faded.

"I want you to work for me." King Duane crossed his arms waiting for a response from Elsa.

"In exchange for what?"

"Oh, well, you just don't miss a beat, do you? In exchange for your sister's life and your well-being."

"What kind of work do you expect from me?" The temperature in the room dropped suddenly and a snowflake fell every now and then.

"I want to use your ice powers. You see, I don't like being told no and when people do tell me no, I just can't _help_ but feeling absolutely enraged. In simple terms, I need your help to get want I want." Duane got up from his chair and walked around the room, examining the structure. "Whether it be threats or finishing a war, it doesn't matter. Just do it and no one will get hurt." At that King Duane left the room, allowing another guard to enter, giving Elsa time to think about what she had just heard.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to post! I kept procrastinating, but here it is! Please review and such. Thank you! :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - Alone

Chapter 4 - Alone

Two days had passed and King Duane was anxious to get off the ship. They arrived at the Southern Isles in the dead of night. The only people awake at this hour were the castle guards and howling wolves in the distance. Everyone on the ship was exhausted. The sailing wasn't the smoothest, not to mention of the outbreak of Elsa, resulting in many injuries.

Four guards escorted Elsa to the castle with King Duane leading them. Elsa hadn't slept since she was put unconscious by King Duane, or as she knew him, David. She was escorted down spiraling metal staircases, delicate swirls twisted and turned in the empty space between the steps and the railing. The stairs seemed to never end, however, it may have been exaggerated by Elsa's tired mind, but it certainly felt neverending. They finally reached the bottom of the staircase, all more exhausted than ever. There were guards stationed in the hallway outside of heavy doors where the prisoners were kept. They banged on the doors, yelling to get out of the misery that surrounded them. Elsa reasoned that this must be the dungeon.

Her escorts halted to a stop and King Duane flipped through some keys, stopping at the only key with a snowflake engraved into it. "Aha! Here we are!" King Duane opened the door to a dark room. One of the guards stepped into the room and lit the oil lamps. There was a large bed in the center of the room. The walls were a perfect shade of white and an indigo rug took up most of the floor. The only sort of decoration in the room were the mirrors that covered up almost all of the walls, turning the room into an endless abyss. A nightstand that doubled as a bookshelf stood to the left of the bed, accompanied by a well-designed lamp that rested atop of it. Besides that, there was only an armoire and a door leading to the washroom. The room was small compared to the room Elsa had at her castle, nonetheless, it was well-kept, especially considering she was a prisoner.

The guard behind Elsa pushed her inside of the room and left with two other guards, leaving Duane and one guard. "This is where you will be staying. As you can see, we have provided you with books, clothes, and toilet facilities. What you may not see is the structure and materials of the room. I have taken special measures to make sure you don't get any ideas to escape, not that you would." King Duane flashed an unnerving smile at her. "All surrounding areas have been made with materials that will withstand your ice. If you feel the need for some daylight there are windows you may open." Duane pointed upwards to the corner where the ceiling meets the wall. "To open them, you only need to pull this lever." King Duane gestured to the lever sticking out of the wall next to the washroom door. "I will contact you again when I need your assistance." King Duane unlocked her shackles and left with the guard, shutting and locking the door behind them. The guard stayed behind to blend in with the rest.

* * *

Hans felt proud of the letter he wrote. He had read it over several times and each time felt even more satisfied with it. The sun had just started rising into the sky when he approached Alva's bedroom door. His white gloves rubbed together for a few moments before he knocked on the wooden door. "I'll be there in a moment." answered a groggy voice. Alva answered the door rubbing her colorful hazel eyes. "Oh, hello, Hans." She tried out the best smile she could summon in her half asleep state.

"Hello, Alva. I was going to ride to Archer's Point. Did you want to come?" Hans laced his fingers together and shifted his weight to his heels.

"Um," Alva tried processing his question "yeah, sure. Let me–" Alva interrupted herself with a yawn, "get dressed."

"Great. I'll meet you at the stables." Hans said with a smile and left to collect lunch for the afternoon.

Hans made his way to the stables passing some of his brothers and bustling maids. Duane exited his bedroom at the same moment Hans was passing, resulting in a collision.

"Excuse me. I didn't mean to–" Hans stopped when he realized who he had bumped into. Duane looked terrible. Bags hung low under his eyes, his usually perfectly styled hair was a mess that fell into his face, and his clothes were wrinkled and out of place. Duane sighed and quickly pushed by Hans. He could hear Moya weeping on the other side of the closed door. After the many years of living in the castle of the Southern Isles, Hans had learned not to ask questions and just keep walking, which is exactly what he did.

Hans noted that the walk to the stables was one of the nicer walks of the palace, feeling in a particularly good mood. The Prince made his way to the newly built barn doors and breathed in the smell of freshly cut cedar. He approached his prized horse, Sitron, and began to prepare him. Sitron loved Hans wholeheartedly and often expressed his love, especially after being fed treats.

_If only you understood the significance of what I did._

Hans said inwardly to Sitron, looking out at the distance with blank eyes, not thinking about anything in particular.

Alva snuck up close behind Hans and quietly leaned closer to his ear. "Boo!" Alva said loudly causing Hans to jump and his heart to pick up pace.

"Alva!" Hans yelled turning around quickly, but couldn't help but smile after seeing her mischievous face that was suppressing a laugh. He rolled his eyes and shook his head as she started to double over in laughter. "Alright, alright. You got me. Are you ready?"

Alva swept back the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of place in her bout of laughter. "Sure!" She quickly started to saddle her horse with some assistance from Hans, then the pair proceeded on their ride.

* * *

Elsa hadn't slept at all that night, to no surprise, and started to question if she had blinked in the past few minutes. The walls and everything visible was covered in ice Elsa had created subconsciously. It had created a blanket that was gently placed along the surfaces of the room. She sat up from her bed for the first time since being imprisoned and felt the collected snow roll off her back. She held her palm upward to catch the drifting snow. The mirrors and ice both reflected light, the combination caused the room to be white with brightness.

She stood from her bed and approached the mirror closest to her. _I look the same as I feel._ The Queen's features looked presentable, but it was something that was hidden underneath that made her appear dreadful. _It's my eyes. _Staring into the reflection of her own eyes, she got lost in the blue, exploring every crevice of doubt and uncertainty. She forced her eyes shut and leaned her head against the cool glass.

_I should be more worried about this situation, shouldn't I?_

Elsa's internal monologue paused as thoughts ran through her head at the speed of light.

_**Shouldn't?**_ _No. Shoulds and shouldn'ts cannot matter now. So, what does matter?_

Endless possibilities streamed along of what she could potentially do, she ruled out unlikely possibilities on the way.

_I could escape? Then what? Arrive back home to see Anna's dead body? I could comply with David. Until when? One of us dies? Those seem like the only realistic options… Look at me now, alone again, in yet another sense. What is wrong with me? _

Elsa's heart quickened as anger started flooding her body. "What is _wrong_ with me?!" She let out a single sob and shattered the mirror with pieces of ice she had crafted. She stumbled backwards into a mixture of soft snow and sharp ice fragments. Her breath raced faster with each second. The soft snow dissipated with her anger and was replaced with hard ice. Elsa stood, the anger bursting from her body through frozen fractals. A strong stream of ice was hurled at the door. The ice had no effect on the door, instead the ice shattered. Elsa ran to the door and pounded on it with all her might. "Let me out!" She exclaimed as bitter tears ran down her face and left her neck sticky. Under her breath she uttered "Please…"

* * *

Cool air rushed around the two riders as they galloped through the woods, weaving between trees. Alva slowed her horse when they reached a clearing and stretched her arms out like wings. "This is great!" She said with a hint of laughter. Hans shared a small bout of laughter with Alva as they raced through the field, toward their cliffside destination.

"Ah, it has been a while since we've been here, hasn't it?" Hans said once they reached Archer's Point. He stepped onto the rocky ground and let Sitron graze freely.

"At least from what I remember it has." Alva responded again with laughter. "It's so beautiful." Alva sat down at the edge of the cliff and let her legs dangle over rocky seas. The sun was high in the sky and each passing wave glimmered like crystal stars. The sky exhaled a refreshing breeze and the sun let off beaming rays of warmth. A perfect combination, a perfect day. Hans sat next to her and leaned back to take a good look at the clouds. "Is she beautiful?" Alva looked over to Hans with charming eyes that reflected the presence of blue skies.

"Who do you mean?" Hans still looked up at the sky, but was slightly confused.

"The Queen. Queen… Ella?" This brought Hans full attention to Alva, who was still looking off into the distance.

"Oh. You mean Elsa." Hans ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, she is." He said tentatively.

"How beautiful?" Alva persisted making Hans nervous.

Hans took a moment to think. "She's as beautiful as the idea of winter. Actually, she perfectly captures all that winter is. Well, besides her ice powers."

"Have you visited her yet? Or did Duane stop you?"

"To Arendelle, I think you would have noticed." Hans chuckled, not fully understanding her question.

"No, I mean here. Don't you know?"

"_Here?_ The Southern Aisles. No. What is she doing here?" Hans started getting anxious.

"I–I don't remember. Duane got her from Arendelle. I think he got back last night."

"_What?_ We have to go." Hans was on his saddle before Alva even noticed he got up.

"Hans! What are you going to do once you get back?" Alva held Sitron's reins making sure Hans didn't run off without her. Alva's plan failed, Hans grabbed the reins from her and departed. She sat down in the grass and closed her eyes not wanting to see what would happen next.

* * *

Hans went straight to the throne room looking for King Duane. When he was not found there, Hans searched every likely place Duane could be found. Finally, Hans asked one of the servants nearby and found Duane in the garden.

Hans approached King Duane slowly, rethinking his decision as he neared. "Hans. What do you want now?" King Duane asked with agitation.

"I've come in regards to Queen Elsa."

"Ah, of course you have. What do you need to know?" King Duane tended to a plant next to the bench he was sitting on.

"I heard she's here." Hans wanted to be more demanding but decided it was not the best option. He took a seat next to his brother who seemed half present. King Duane didn't respond. "What are you doing with her?" Hans persisted.

King Duane forced his attention onto the man next to him. He inhaled deeply and held it in until the breath became uncomfortable, in his exhale he leaned back his head and looked at the leaves above. "I'm hopelessly in love, Hans." Duane said in a convincingly serious tone. He waited for Hans' surprise, then erupted in laughter. "Oh Hans, you are just too easy to fool." Duane's light-hearted voice quickly turned into a darker tone. "You don't happen to mean your victim, _Elsa_? Full understanding has never come upon you in the past or present, young brother." King Duane stood from his seat and towered above Hans. "She's being taken care of. She has food, clothing, the necessities. We've arranged a deal. She assists me in some dealings and, in return, Elsa receives freedom." On that note, the King left Hans in the garden alone.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you guys for the reviews! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner. **


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